Alarmingly, as an Egyptian American of Christian faith, I cannot overlook the fact that there is rapid shift towards Islamization sweeping the country, without any hint of a substantial opposition. Despite an Islamic majority, Egypt managed over her recent history to maintain a fairly secular government, although there has historically been documented discrimination against Christians.

Holding up portraits of Coptic Christians killed in early October, thousands of demonstrators converged on November 11, 2011, on Tahrir Square in down town Cairo during a parade in memory of the Egyptian Copts killed in early October during clashes with security forces.

As events unfold, it is only a matter of time until we find out whether the January 25th, 2011 revolution will bring about a new Egypt that looks more like Pakistan, with an unbreakable alliance between the army and Islamists in defiance of democratic and progressive values. Or, perhaps will Egypt be emerge like Turkey, where the Islamists are watched over by the army (or were at least until recently), and there exists a fairly democratic political system.

As a Coptic Christian of Egyptian descent, I hope that Egypt will be like Spain, where the removal of an army dictator engendered a truly secular and progressive democracy, even for a people with a strong religious background.

Dr. Sherif Meleka, a physician specializing in pain management with the rank of assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore. He is also a writer in his native Egypt, the author of four novels, two collections of short stories, and four books of poetry in Arabic. He is a regular columnist in Arabic in the electronic Web site Modern Discussion, and a U.S.-based Arabic/English newspaper.